This invention relates generally to a support assembly for a basketball basket and backboard, and in particular, relates to a novel support assembly which permits movement of the basket and backboard in at least one direction and also in a plurality of directions as desired by the purchaser of the support assembly.
The basket and backboard used in the game of basketball is generally positioned vertically at each end of a basketball court. The basket is fixedly attached to the vertical backboard and is subject to many forces thereon during the playing of the game. With the advent of professional basketball as a national sport, a practice known as "dunking" the ball has emerged. The professional players will often force the basketball downwardly through the basket in various manners in a display of their professional abilities. Many times, the basketball player will race toward the basket, prior to the dunk shot from various directions on the floor and effect the dunk shot with increased multi-directional forces on the basket and backboard.
As a result of this practice which is acceptable due to the entertalnment nature of the sport, the increased forces on the basket and backboard can cause injury to the player should the basket or backboard collapse or be forced out of its original position during the dunk shot.
The problem becomes increasingly more dangerous as college basketball players emulate their professional counterpart and high school players do the same. In other words, more and more basketball players are using the dunk shot not only for its theatrical effect, but also as another means of getting the basketball into the basket as rapidly as possible during a basketball game. The applicant's invention makes it possible for very young players to practice their dunking skills.
In order to minimize the danger of injury to the dunking basketball player and to provide a support assembly that will control and resist or dampen the dunklng forces, there must be understood the major forces resulting from a dunk shot. Should the dunking player drive at the basket from the center of the floor and exert a dunk shot, then the force on the basket and backboard can be a combination of a vertically downwardly force caused by the player hitting or holding onto the basket on completion of the dunk shot and can also be a horizontally inwardly force caused by the forward momentum as he hits the basket and backboard with hls arms. Should a dunk shot be attempted from the side of the court by driving towards the basket parallel to the backboard, then the dunking force can be a combination of a vertically downwardly force as before mentioned in combination with a horizontally rotational force caused by the player hitting the basket parallel to the backboard, causing a rotational moment on the supporting structure. In other words, the entire supportlng structure will tend to want to rotate around a fixed point holding the structure in its origlnal position.
To further complicate the problem of designing a universal support assembly for use in dunking a basketball, should the basketball player approach the basket at a 45.degree. angle towards the basket, then at least three forces are involved during the dunk shot. The previously mentioned vertically downward forces caused by the player hitting the basket and the horizontally inwardly forces caused by driving at the basket from a 45.degree. angle to the line of the basketball court, are encountered and are added to the horizontally rotational force caused by the 45.degree. approach to the basket.
It is known in prior art design of mechanical devices to provide means using reels, spindles, tension on lines, etc. to dampen or control various motions as typified in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,571,061, issued to E. W. Reynolds; 2,757,882, issued to F. A. Maitland; 2,877,963, issued to A. P. Hayden., 2,923,493, issued to T. C. Fitzgerald et al; 3,089,665, issued to A. E. Gardner, Jr.; 4,494,710, issued to M. J. Harris et al: and 2,837,299, issued to G. U. Cuscak.
In the prior art design of basketball basket and backboard support assemblies, it is known to provide a variety of support structures and suspension devices as typified in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,757,350, issued to W. Wallace; 1,778,173, issued to A. L. Steele, and 2,712,445, issued to J. Barclay et al.
The design adjustable heights above the basketball floor for a basket and basket board as well as resilient mounted baskets attached to the backboard to dampen stresses on the basket and backboard are taught in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,395,040, issued to D. White; 4,483,534, issued to J. F. O'Donnell; 4,438,923, issued to C. J. Engle et al; 4,441,709, issued to E. A. Schroeder et al; 4,534,556, issued to P. D. Eastlund et al; 2,313,188, issued to C. C. Woodburn and 4,365,802, issued to A. H. Ehrat.
The prior art discloses several configurations directed specifically to the problem of providing a device for dampening several of the forces of a dunk shot as typified in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,151,989, issued to W. A. Dittrich and 4,465,277, issued to the same inventor. These patents, springing from a single patent application, address the problem of a horizontally rotationally directed dunk shot force and also a horizontally inwardly directed dunk shot force of the type hereinbefore described. For the reasons to be more fully stated hereinafter, these embodiments do not protect the basketball player from injury as does the applicant's novel invention, and in particular do not address the problem of the complex multi-forces on a basket and backboard coming from various directions during a fast approach and dunk shot by a professional player. For further reference to other background patents relating to various prior art devices of the type hereinbefore described, the prior art cited by the Examiners in these two patents may be helpful to the reader who desires more information.
The commercialization of various devices designed for solving the problem of minimizing the forces from a slam-dunk by a basketball player are shown in the commercial literature printed by Basketball Products International, Inc. of 309 South Cloverdale Street, D-9, Seattle, WA 98108, filed with prior art cited in this application. This literature shows in more detail the problems encountered when a basketball player forceably dunks a basketball and presents various solutions to overcome the resulting forces.
A basketball rim assembly to relieve dunking forces is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,839 and a height adjustable goal is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,367.